{
  "id": 16877943,
  "title": "Lotte Giants hire ex-manager as bench coach",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/lotte-giants-hire-ex-manager-as-bench-coach-16877943",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T09:32:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20261028/lotte-giants-hire-ex-manager-as-bench-coach"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Lotte Giants rehired their previous manager, Her Mun-hoe, as bench coach on Wednesday. Additionally, Her will serve as the team's hitting adviser. This move comes as part of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club's offseason restructuring efforts. Previously, the Giants announced the appointment of Lee Dong-wook, a former champion manager from the NC Dinos, as their new manager on Monday. Meanwhile, Lee Taek-keun, a former outfielder with no background in coaching or front office roles, was hired as the team's new general manager. Her managed the Giants during the 2020 and early 2021 seasons, leading the team to a seventh-place finish in the KBO with a record of 71-72-1. However, he was dismissed in May 2021 when the team was in last place with a 12-18-0 record. Before becoming the Giants' manager, Her had served as the bench coach for the Kiwoom Heroes and held the position of hitting coach for both the Heroes and the LG Twins. The Giants highlighted Her's data-driven approach to analyzing hitting mechanics and physical attributes, stating that this will enable the team to maximize the potential of their players. In 2026, the Giants finished at the bottom of the league standings.",
  "summary": "The Lotte Giants on Wednesday brought back their former manager Her Mun-hoe as bench coach. The Giants said Her, 54, will also double as a hitting adviser, as the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club's offseason overhaul continued. On Monday, they named Lee Dong-wook, a former title-winning skipper for another KBO club, the NC Dinos, as their new manager. Lee Taek-keun, a former outfielder, was…",
  "key_points": [
    "Former manager Her Mun-hoe rehired as Lotte Giants bench coach",
    "Serves as hitting adviser for Lotte Giants",
    "Data-driven approach to maximize player potential"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Rehiring a former manager to provide data-driven hitting expertise signals the Giants' attempt to stabilize their coaching staff and maximize player potential following a period of poor league standings.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}